Their diet is diverse and includes the following: Preying on Flying InsectsĬellar spiders are adept at capturing flying insects that become entangled in their webs. They primarily feed on a variety of small insects and other arthropods, making them beneficial for controlling pest populations. Diet of Cellar SpidersĬellar spiders are opportunistic predators. They may construct their webs among leaves and branches, capturing flying insects that venture too close. While less common, cellar spiders can also be found outdoors, spinning their webs among vegetation such as bushes, shrubs, and other plants. In commercial buildings, cellar spiders often spin webs in corners near doors that are frequently left open. They also prefer damp places like basements, crawl spaces, and garages. Within buildings, cellar spiders tend to spin their webs in dark corners near ceilings, windows, doors, and eaves. They can also be found in other structures like homes, sheds, barns, and warehouses. Their name “cellar spiders” stems from their common presence in dark, damp, and secluded areas such as basements, caves, and cellars. Habitats of Cellar SpidersĬellar spiders are known to inhabit a variety of environments, with a preference for dark, sheltered areas. This eye arrangement gives them a wide field of vision, enabling them to detect and respond to threats from various angles. EyesĬellar spiders possess eight eyes, arranged in two lateral groups of three eyes each, with two eyes in between. Due to their long legs, cellar spiders are often mistaken for harvestmen, another type of arachnid that also has long legs but is not technically a spider. Short-bodied cellar spiders, on the other hand, have legs that are about ½ inch long. The legs of long-bodied cellar spiders can be up to two inches long. The legs of cellar spiders are particularly long and thin, giving them their typical “daddy longlegs” appearance. At the rear of their abdomen are small, noticeable spinnerets that produce silk for constructing webs. Their cephalothorax is narrower, while the abdomen is typically more rounded. Head and BodyĬellar spiders, like all arachnids, have two body segments – the cephalothorax in the front and the abdomen in the back. Their color varies from pale yellow to light brown or gray. These spiders are also characterized by their slender, elongated bodies, which often appear cylindrical or pear-shaped. Their most distinguishing feature is their long, thin legs, which can span several inches. Their bodies are typically small to medium-sized, with lengths ranging from 2 to 10 millimeters. Anatomy of Cellar SpidersĬellar spiders exhibit unique physical characteristics that set them apart from other spiders. Even though a spider bite can be painful or uncomfortable, the venom is the dangerous part, not the bite itself. 98% of spiders are harmless and don’t pose any threat to people. In reality, most spiders don’t bite humans unless they feel threatened to do so. However, there’s no research out there to prove this to be true. There’s a myth floating around out there that cellar spiders have the most poisonous venom out of all spiders and that only their short fangs keep them from being a threat to humans. Its venom is also weak, so the cellar spider has to depend on its silk web to immobilize any prey that comes near its web. Even though it has fangs and venom glands, its fangs are quite short. While many spiders bite their prey to inject it with venom, the cellar spider doesn’t. That doesn’t necessarily make them dangerous, though. Are cellar spiders harmful?Īre cellar spiders dangerous? Cellars are harmless spiders that appear on every continent except for Antarctica and are commonly mistaken for daddy longlegs because of their leg length.Īlmost all spiders that are native to North America are venomous. This article delves into the intriguing world of cellar spiders, their characteristics, habitat, diet, and their harmless relationship with humans. They are often associated with deadly venoms due to urban myths, despite no scientific evidence supporting this. These creatures are a prime example of the gap between public perception and scientific understanding. Cellar spiders, scientifically identified as Pholcidae, are commonly misidentified as “daddy long-legs” due to their thin, elongated legs.
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